Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a photocopier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having at least two of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, plotting, and scanning capabilities.
Description of the Related Art
Typically, image forming apparatuses, such as copiers and printers, include a lubricant supply device employing a lubricant supply roller to slide on a surface of an image bearer, such as a photoconductor drum or an intermediate transfer belt, to lubricate the surface of the image bearer. There are image forming apparatuses in which the rotation speed (e.g. revolutions per minute or RPM) of the lubricant supply roller is changed to reliably supply a constant amount of lubricant to the image bearer based on predetermined conditions.
For example, in addition to the lubricant supply roller to slide on the image bearer, the lubricant supply device includes a solid lubricant that abuts on the lubricant supply roller, a biasing member to bias the solid lubricant to the lubricant supply roller, and the like. While rotating in a predetermined direction, the lubricant supply roller scrapes off lubricant from the solid lubricant and supplies the lubricant to the surface of the photoconductor drum.